VIN decoder
VIN decoder: what the 17 characters tell you
A VIN identifies the car, the maker and the plant. It does not contain the trim, the options or the paint code — no VIN does. Here is what each part of the number carries, make by make, and where the rest of it actually lives.
Look up a car by VIN or registration
The make, model, colour and year are shown free, before anything is charged.
The registration is enough. Prefer the VIN? It's on the V5C and at the base of the windscreen.
What you get
2022 Audi A4 40 TDI quattro
Paint
6Y
Daytona grey pearl effect
Also on the same sheet
- Interior trim
- Soul (black) (EI)
- Gearbox
- 7-speed automatic, quattro
- Equipment codes
- 182 items, by code and description
Build sheet available for 32 makes
- Abarth
- Alpine
- Audi
- BMW
- Chrysler
- Citroën
- Cupra
- Dacia
- Dodge
- DS
- Ford
- Hyundai
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Kia
- Lancia
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Mercedes-Benz
- MINI
- Peugeot
- Polestar
- RAM
- Saab
- SEAT
- Škoda
- Smart
- Tesla
- Toyota
- Vauxhall
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
No build sheet for these makes
Their manufacturers return nothing, or too little to be worth selling. Nothing is charged for a make we cannot serve.
- Alfa Romeo
- Fiat
- Honda
- Mazda
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Porsche
- Renault
- Suzuki
What does a VIN number tell you?
The 17 characters, in three blocks
A VIN (vehicle identification number) is always 17 characters, letters and digits, with I, O and Q left out so they cannot be confused with 1 and 0. The layout follows the international standard, ISO 3779:
| Characters | Name | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | WMI | The manufacturer and the region it built the car in — the first character gives the part of the world |
| 4 to 9 | VDS | A description of the vehicle in each maker's own coding: model, body, sometimes the engine. Many makers use the ninth as a check digit |
| 10 to 17 | VIS | The car itself: depending on the maker, the model year and the plant, then the serial number |
The first character is the region: S to Z for Europe, J to R for Asia, 1 to 5 for North America. With the second it gives the country — W for Germany, S for the United Kingdom, V for France and Spain, Z for Italy, J for Japan, KM or KN for South Korea.
What a VIN does not carry
This is the part most VIN decoders are quiet about. The number identifies the car; it does not describe how it was ordered. No VIN contains the trim level, the option packs, the wheels, the interior, the paint code or anything about what has happened to the car since.
All of that exists — it is in the manufacturer's own production record, held against the VIN. That record is what we sell as the factory build sheet: the paint name and, on most recent cars, its code, the interior trim, the gearbox, and every equipment code the car was built with, each with a description.
- Paint
- Daytona grey pearl effect (6Y)
- Interior trim
- Soul (black) (EI)
- Gearbox
- 7-speed automatic, quattro
- Equipment codes
- 182 items, by code and description
Decoding by make
Each manufacturer codes the middle of the VIN its own way, and some do far less with it than others. These pages set out what that make's number does and does not say, where the car's data label usually is, and what its build sheet returns.
VIN and factory options by make: Audi · BMW · Mercedes-Benz · Volkswagen · Vauxhall · MINI · Jaguar · Land Rover.
What is free, and what is not
Free, with no account: the structure above; the vehicle behind the VIN or registration, shown in the form before you pay; the DVLA specification with the tax band and ULEZ position; the full MOT and mileage record; and the known faults and recalls for the model.
Paid: the factory build sheet at £3.99, charged only if the manufacturer holds one for that VIN, and the service history at £9.99, with nothing to pay if we find no records.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free VIN decoder?
For the structure, yes — the 17 characters follow a standard, and what each one carries is set out on this page and make by make. The vehicle behind the VIN (make, model, colour and year) is also shown free in the form, before anything is paid for. What no decoder can read is the trim and the options: they are not in the VIN. The factory build sheet that lists them costs £3.99, charged only if the manufacturer holds one.
What can you find out from a VIN number?
The VIN itself gives the manufacturer and the region it was built in, a description of the vehicle in that maker's own coding, sometimes the model year and the plant, and a serial number. Its real use is as a key: with it you can retrieve the manufacturer's factory build record for that car, and the service history its dealer network recorded.
Does a VIN tell you the trim level or the options?
No. Not the trim, not the options, not the colour. Volkswagen Group goes as far as filling the middle of a European VIN with ZZZ. All of it sits in the manufacturer's production record, which is what the factory build sheet is — £3.99, charged only if there is one.
Does a VIN give the year of the car?
Sometimes. Many makers use the tenth character for the model year, but it is not required in Europe: BMW and Mercedes-Benz do not do it on their European VINs. And a model year is not a registration date. For the date that matters when buying, use the date of first registration on the V5C.
Where do I find the VIN?
On the V5C, at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side, in the driver's door frame, and stamped into the body. Every one of those should show the same number — if they do not, stop and ask why.
Can I decode a car from the registration instead?
On our checks, yes. Enter the registration and we resolve the VIN behind it, then show you the vehicle before anything is charged. DVLA's own free lookup gives the make, model, colour, engine size and tax status, but no VIN and no options.
Does the VIN show the car's history?
Not directly. The service history recorded by the manufacturer's dealer network is retrieved using the VIN (£9.99, and nothing to pay if we find nothing). The MOT record and the mileage trail are free, and so is the DVLA tax status.
Related
Free checks and the paid records
Get the factory build sheet
Everything the VIN does not carry: paint, trim, gearbox and every option code the manufacturer built into the car. £3.99, and nothing to pay if there is no record.
Get the build sheet · £3.99